Coffee, tea and mops

A small thing, mind you, but every little thing makes for the bigger changes... right???

I have hot tea in the mornings. I usually have two cups. I have a habit of leaving the tea kettle on low in between cups. I started to notice that my two cups could end up being hours apart. So, I am turning off the stove after a cup is poured. I also have started turning off the coffee maker as soon as the coffee is brewed (for father-in-law). Our model has an internal carafe to help keep the coffee warm for hours after it shuts off.

I have also purchaced a special floor mop (made in USA!) that dusts or mops the floor (removable covers). Since our house is nearly all wood floors (with some tile), I figured this could help reduce my vacuuming. (and who wouldn't want that??!!) But most importantly, it saves on the electricity of vacuuming every other day. (the frequency is because of the dog, not that I am a neat-nik!) And the mop head is natural fibers, not artificial sponge, so it can be washed, making for cleaner floors!

And I read that if you plan to idle in your car more than 30 seconds, it's better to turn off the engine and restart, than to leave it running. I had always been told it was better to leave it running, but with fuel injected engines, maybe that old thinking was for older cars. Anyway, I do it only where safe (not intersections), and I hope to save some gas as well as some fresh air!